The TOEFL ibt Reading section includes 3 to 5 reading passages, each approximately 700 words long. There are 12 to 14 questions per passage. You have from 60 to 100 minutes to answer all questions in the section. TOEFL ibt Reading Passages TOEFL ibt reading passages are excerpts from college-level textbooks that would be used in introductions to a discipline or topic. The excerpts are changed as little as possible because the goal of the TOEFL ibt is to assess how well students can read the kind of writing that is used in an academic environment. The passages will cover a variety of different subjects. Don t worry if you are unfamiliar with the topic of a passage. All the information needed to answer the questions will be in the passage. All TOEFL passages are classified into three basic categories based on author purpose: (1) Exposition, (2) Argumentation, and (3) Historical. Often passages will present information about the topic from more than one perspective or point of view. This is something you should note as you read because usually you will be asked at least one question that allows you to show that you have understood the general organization of the passage. Common types of organization you should be able to recognize are classification comparison/contrast cause/effect problem/solution TOEFL ibt passages are approximately 700 words long, but the passages used may vary somewhat in length. Some passages may be slightly longer than700 words, and some may be slightly shorter. TOEFL ibt Reading Questions TOEFL ibt Reading questions cover Basic Information skills, Inferring skills, and Reading to Learn skills. There are 10 question types. The following chart summarizes the categories and types of TOEFL ibt Reading questions. TOEFL Reading Question Types Basic Information and Inferring questions (11 to 13 questions per set) 1. Factual Information questions (3 to 6 questions per set) 2. Negative Factual Information questions (0 to 2 questions per set) 3. Inference questions (0 to 2 questions per set) 4. Rhetorical Purpose questions (0 to 2 questions per set) 5. Vocabulary questions (3 to 5 questions per set) 6. Reference questions (0 to 2 questions per set) 7. Sentence Simplification questions (0 to 1 question per set) 8. Insert Text question (0 to 1 question per set)
Reading to Learn questions (1 per set) 9. Prose Summary 10. Fill in a Table The following sections will explain each of these question types. You ll find out how to recognize each type, and you ll see examples of each type with explanations. You ll also find tips that can help you answer each TOEFL Reading Question type. Basic Information and Inferring Questions Type 1: Factual Information Questions These questions ask you to identify factual information that is explicitly stated in the passage. Factual Information questions can focus on facts, details, definitions, or other information presented by the author. They ask you to identify specific information that is typically mentioned only in part of the passage. They generally do not ask about general themes that the passage as a whole discusses. Often the relevant information is in one or two sentences. How to Recognize Factual Information Questions Factual information questions are often phrased in one of these ways: According to the paragraph, which of the following is true of X? The author s description of X mentions which of the following? According to the paragraph, X occurred because... According to the paragraph, X did Y because... According to the paragraph, why did X do Y? The author s description of X mentions which of the following? Tips for Factual Information Questions You may need to refer back to the passage in order to know what exactly is said about the subject of the question. Since the question may be about a detail, you may not recall the detail from your first reading of the passage. Eliminate choices that present information that is contradicted in the passage. Do not select an answer just because it is mentioned in the passage. Your choice should answer the specific question that was asked. Type 2: Negative Factual Information Questions These questions ask you to verify what information is true and what information is NOT true or not included in the passage based on information that is explicitly stated in the passage. To answer this kind of question, first locate the relevant information in the passage. Then verify that three of the four answer choices are true and that the remaining choice is false. Remember, for this type of question, the correct answer is the one that is NOT true.
How to Recognize Negative Factual Information Questions You can recognize negative fact items because either the word NOT or EXCEPT appears in the question in capital letters. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true of X? The author s description of X mentions all of the following EXCEPT Tips for Negative Factual Information Questions Usually a Negative Factual Information question requires you to check more of the passage than a Factual Information question. The three choices that are mentioned in the passage may be spread across a paragraph or several paragraphs. In Negative Factual Information questions, the correct answer either directly contradicts one or more statements in the passage or is not mentioned in the passage at all. After you finish a Negative Factual Information Question, check your answer to make sure you have accurately understood the task. Type 3: Inference Questions These questions measure your ability to comprehend an argument or an idea that is strongly implied but not explicitly stated in the text. For example, if an effect is cited in the passage, an Inference question might ask about its cause. If a comparison is made, an Inference question might ask for the basis of the comparison. You should think about not only the explicit meaning of the author s words, but the logical implications of those words. How to Recognize Inference Questions Inference questions will usually include the word infer, suggest, or imply. Which of the following can be inferred about X? The author of the passage implies that X... Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about X? Tips for Inference Questions Make sure your answer does not contradict the main idea of the passage. Don t choose an answer just because it seems important or true. The correct answer must be inferable from the passage. You should be able to defend your choice by pointing to explicitly stated information in the passage that leads to the inference you have Type 4: Rhetorical Purpose Questions Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively. In Factual Information questions you are asked what information an author has presented. In Rhetorical Purpose questions you are asked why the author has presented a particular
piece of information in a particular place or manner. Rhetorical Purpose questions ask you to show that you understand the rhetorical function of a statement or paragraph as it relates to the rest of the passage. Sometimes you will be asked to identify how one paragraph relates to another. For instance, the second paragraph may give examples to support a statement in the first paragraph. The answer choices may be expressed in general terms, (for example, a theory is explained and then illustrated ) or in terms that are specific to the passage. ( The author explains the categories of adaptation to deserts by mammals and then gives an example. ) A Rhetorical Purpose question may also ask why the author quotes a certain person or why the author mentions a particular piece of information (Example: Why does the author mention the ability to grasp a pencil? Correct answer: It is an example of a motor skill developed by children at 10 to 11 months of age.) How to Recognize Rhetorical Purpose Questions These are examples of the way Rhetorical Purpose questions are typically worded: The author discusses X in paragraph 2 in order to... Why does the author mention X? The author uses X as an example of... Tips for Rhetorical Purpose Questions Know the definitions of these words or phrases, which are often used to describe different kinds of rhetorical purposes: definition, example, to illustrate, to explain, to contrast, to refute, to note, to criticize, function of. Rhetorical Purpose questions usually do not ask about the overall organization of the reading passage. Instead, they typically focus on the logical links between sentences and paragraphs. Type 5: Vocabulary Questions These questions ask you to identify the meanings of individual words and phrases as they are used in the reading passage (a word might have more than one meaning, but in the reading passage, only one of those meanings is relevant.) Vocabulary that is tested actually occurs in the passage; there is no list of words that must be tested. Usually a word or phrase is chosen to be tested as a vocabulary item because understanding that word or phrase is important to understanding a large or important part of the passage. On the TOEFL ibt, some words in the passage that are unusual, technical, or have special meanings in the context of the topic are defined for you. If you click on the word in the passage, a definition will appear in a box. In this book, words of this type are defined at the end of the passage. Naturally, words that are tested as vocabulary questions are not defined for you. How to Recognize Vocabulary Questions Vocabulary questions are usually easy to identify. You will see one word or phrase highlighted in the passage. You are then asked a question like this: The word X in the passage is closest in meaning to In the case of a phrase, the question might be: In stating X, the author means that
Tips for Vocabulary Questions Remember that the question is not just asking the meaning of a word; it is asking for the meaning as it is used in the passage. Do not choose an answer just because it can be a correct meaning of the word; understand which meaning the author is using in the passage. Reread the sentence in the passage, substituting the word or phrase you have chosen. Confirm that the sentence still makes sense in the context of the whole passage. Type 6: Reference Questions These questions ask you to identify referential relationships between the words in the passage. Often, the relationship is between a pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers). Sometimes other kinds of grammatical reference are tested (like which or this). How to Recognize Reference Questions Reference questions look similar to vocabulary questions. In the passage, one word or phrase is highlighted. Usually the word is a pronoun. Then you are asked: The word X in the passage refers to The four answer choices will be words or phrases from the passage. Only one choice is the word to which the highlighted word refers. Tips for Reference Questions If the Reference question is about a pronoun, make sure your answer is the same number (singular or plural) and case (first person, second person, third person) as the highlighted pronoun. Substitute your choice for the highlighted word or words in the sentence. Does it violate any grammar rules? Does it make sense? Type 7: Sentence Simplification Questions In this type of question you are asked to choose a sentence that has the same essential meaning as a sentence that occurs in the passage. Not every reading set includes a Sentence Simplification question. There is never more than one in a set. How to Recognize Sentence Simplification Questions Sentence Simplification questions always look the same. A single sentence in the passage is highlighted. You are then asked: Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. Tips for Sentence Simplification Questions Make sure you understand both ways a choice can be incorrect:
If It contradicts something in the highlighted sentence. If It leaves out something important from the highlighted sentence. Make sure your answer does not contradict the main argument of the paragraph in which the sentence occurs, or the passage as a whole. Type 8: Insert Text Questions In this type of question, you are given a new sentence and are asked where in the passage it would best fit. You need to understand the logic of the passage as well as the grammatical connections (like pronoun references) between sentences. Not every set includes an Insert Text question. There is never more than one in a set. How to Recognize Insert Text Questions In the passage you will see four black squares. The squares are located at the beginnings or ends of sentences. Sometimes all four squares appear in one paragraph. Sometimes they are spread across the end of one paragraph and the beginning of another. You are then asked this question: Look at the four squares [7] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. [You will see a sentence in bold.] Where would the sentence best fit? Your job is to click on one of the squares and insert the sentence in the text. Tips for Insert Text Questions Try the sentence in each of the places indicated by the squares. You can place and replace the sentence as many times as you want. Look at the structure of the sentence you are inserting. Pay special attention to connecting words; they can provide important information about where the sentence should be placed. Frequently used connecting words: On the other hand Further, or Furthermore Similarly For example Therefore In contrast On the contrary In other words Finally As a result Make sure that the inserted sentence connects logically to both the sentence before it and the sentence after it, and that any pronouns agree with the nouns they refer to. Reading to Learn Questions There are two types of Reading to Learn questions: Prose Summary and Fill in a Table. Reading to Learn questions require you to do more than the Basic Information questions. As you have seen, the Basic Information questions focus on your ability to understand or locate specific points in a passage at the sentence level. The Reading to Learn questions also involve recognizing the organization and purpose of the passage organizing the information in the passage into a mental framework
distinguishing major from minor ideas and essential from nonessential information understanding rhetorical functions such as cause-effect relationships, compare-contrast relationships, arguments, and the like. In other words, these questions require you to demonstrate an understanding of the passage as a whole, not just specific information within it. Reading to Learn questions require you to show that you are able not only to comprehend individual points, but also to place the major ideas and supporting information from the passage into an organizational framework or structure such as a prose summary or a table. By answering correctly, you will demonstrate that you can recognize the major points of a text, how and why the text has been organized, and the nature of the relationships within the text. Having an organized mental representation of a text is critical to learning because it allows you to remember important information from the text and apply it in new situations. If you have such a mental framework, you should be able to reconstruct the major ideas and supporting information from the text. By doing so, you will demonstrate a global understanding of the text as a whole. On the TOEFL ibt test, each reading passage will have one Reading to Learn item. It will be either a Prose Summary or a Fill in a Table item, never both. Type 9: Prose Summary Questions These items measure your ability to understand and recognize the major ideas and the relative importance of information in a passage. You will be asked to select the major ideas in the passage by distinguishing them from minor ideas or ideas that are not in the passage. The correct answer choice will synthesize major ideas in the passage. Because the correct answer represents a synthesis of ideas, it will not match any particular sentence from the passage. To select the correct answer, you will need to create a mental framework to organize and remember major ideas and other important information. Understanding the relative importance of information in a passage is critical to this ability. In a Prose Summary question, you will be given six answer choices and asked to pick the three that express the most important ideas in the passage. Unlike the Basic Information questions, each of which is worth just one point, a Prose Summary question can be worth either one or two points depending on how many correct answers you choose. If you choose no correct answers or just one correct answer, you will earn no points. If you choose two correct answers, you will earn one point. If you choose all three correct answers, you will earn two points. The order in which you choose your answers does not matter for scoring purposes. Type 10: Fill in a Table Questions In this kind of item, you will be given a partially completed table based on information in the passage. Your job is to complete the table by clicking on correct answer choices and dragging them to their correct locations in the table. Fill in a Table items measure your ability to conceptualize and organize major ideas and other important information from across the passage and then to place them in appropriate categories. This means that you must first recognize and identify the major points from the passage, and then place those points in their proper context.
Just as for Prose Summary questions, the able reader will create a mental framework to organize and remember major ideas and other important information. Doing so requires the ability to understand rhetorical functions such as cause effect relationships, compare-contrast relationships, arguments, and the like. When building your mental framework, keep in mind that the major ideas in the passage are the ones you would include if you were making a fairly high-level outline of the passage. The correct answer choices are usually ideas that would be included in a slightly more detailed outline. Minor details and examples are generally not included in such an outline because they are used only to support the more important, higher-level themes. The distinction between major ideas/ important information and less important information can also be thought of as a distinction between essential and nonessential information. Passages used with Fill in a Table items have more than one focus of development in that they include more than one point of view or perspective. Typical passages have the following types of organization: compare/contrast, problem/solution, cause/effect, alternative arguments (such as theories, hypotheses), and the like. Correct answers represent major ideas and important supporting information in the passage. Generally these answers will not match specific phrases in the passage. They are more likely to be abstract concepts based on passage information or paraphrases of passage information. Correct answers will be easy to confirm by able readers who can remember or easily locate relevant text information. Type 10: Fill in a Table Questions In this kind of item, you will be given a partially completed table based on information in the passage. Your job is to complete the table by clicking on correct answer choices and dragging them to their correct locations in the table. Fill in a Table items measure your ability to conceptualize and organize major ideas and other important information from across the passage and then to place them in appropriate categories. This means that you must first recognize and identify the major points from the passage, and then place those points in their proper context. Just as for Prose Summary questions, the able reader will create a mental framework to organize and remember major ideas and other important information. Doing so requires the ability to understand rhetorical functions such as cause effect relationships, compare-contrast relationships, arguments, and the like. When building your mental framework, keep in mind that the major ideas in the passage are the ones you would include if you were making a fairly high-level outline of the passage. The correct answer choices are usually ideas that would be included in a slightly more detailed outline. Minor details and examples are generally not included in such an outline because they are used only to support the more important, higher-level themes. The distinction between major ideas/ important information and less important information can also be thought of as a distinction between essential and nonessential information.
Passages used with Fill in a Table items have more than one focus of development in that they include more than one point of view or perspective. Typical passages have the following types of organization: compare/contrast, problem/ solution, cause/effect, alternative arguments (such as theories, hypotheses), and the like. Correct answers represent major ideas and important supporting information in the passage. Generally these answers will not match specific phrases in the passage. They are more likely to be abstract concepts based on passage information or paraphrases of passage information. Correct answers will be easy to confirm by able readers who can remember or easily locate relevant text information. Improving Your Performance on TOEFL ibt Reading Questions Now that you are familiar with the ten question types that are used in TOEFL ibtreading, you are ready to sharpen your skills by working on whole reading sets. In the following pages, you can practice on six reading sets created by ETS for the TOEFL ibt test. The question types are not labeled, but you should be able to identify them and understand what you need to do to answer each correctly. After each passage and question set you ll find answers and explanations for each question. In addition to practicing on these sets, here are some other suggestions for improving the skills that will help you perform well on TOEFL ibt Reading: The best way to improve reading skills is to read frequently and to read many different types of texts in various subject areas (sciences, social sciences, arts, business, and so on). The Internet is one of the best resources for this, and of course books, magazines, and journals are very helpful as well. Make sure regularly to read texts that are academic in style, the kind that are used in university courses. Here are some suggestions for ways to build skills for the three reading purposes covered by the TOEFL ibt test. 1. Reading to find information Scan passages to find and highlight key facts (dates, numbers, terms) and information. Practice this frequently to increase reading rate and fluency. 2. Reading for basic comprehension Increase your vocabulary knowledge, perhaps by using flashcards. Rather than carefully reading each word and each sentence, practice skimming a passage quickly to get a general impression of the main idea. Build up your ability to skim quickly and to identify the major points. b After skimming a passage, read it again more carefully and write down the main idea, major points, and important facts.
Choose some unfamiliar words in a passage and guess the meaning from the context (surrounding sentences). Select all the pronouns (he, him, they, them, etc.) and identify which nouns they refer to in a passage. Practice making inferences and drawing conclusions based on what is implied in the passage as a whole. Adapted from the Official Guide to the TOEFL Test